| Phil grew up in a working class family in Stone Mountain, GA, the son of immigrants. As a youth, Phil had to travel two hours one-way to school each day to receive a decent public education. As soon as he was old enough, Phil began working at Waffle House and Best Buy to help support his single mother and family. These childhood experiences cemented values of sacrifice, dignity in work, and the value of a quality education.
Phil attended Duke University as a working student, spending school breaks studying predatory lending policies across Georgia and the Southeast. After working at Citigroup to pay off college loans, Phil left to serve his country in the United States Peace Corps. After three years of supporting an indigenous community in the Philippines, Phil returned to the U.S. to study at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and organize in the Mississippi Delta (Baptist Town, MS). Upon graduation, he moved back to Atlanta to put the things he had learned into practice at home.
Phil was a Director at WorkSource Atlanta, helping job seekers receive skills training and support to increase employability and access career paths. As Executive Director of Next Generation Men & Women, Phil has grown a 50-student non-profit into one that serves almost 350 students across four Atlanta high schools and partners with 70 local colleges and companies to create exposure and mentorship opportunities for our young people. As President of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, Phil has led community initiatives that secured 16 neighborhood security cameras, completed a multi-park project, and passed City legislation to limit development impacts on residents - legacy and new.
Phil and his wife, Sabrina, live in Summerhill where they are raising their infant son, August. Phil has spent a life-time committed to serving his community and believes in a future where hardworking families can prosper and every child can thrive, regardless of their zip code or background. |